Being Human
by Marti1013
Summary: Artemis is stripped of her Godly powers and thrown into the human world.  Can she show everyone she's more than the spoiled Goddess she's always been?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dark-Hunters, Were-Hunters, Dream-Hunters, Daimons, etc. Sherrilyn Kenyon, otherwise known as 'the Author Goddess' (AG) owns all. I make absolutely no money off this creation although any original characters came from my own warped mind.

A/N~~ This is my first Dark Hunter fan-fiction and was started just after 'Acheron' came out, thus anything that happens after, in subsequent DH novels does not apply.

This is rated 'M' for sex, language, and well pretty much anything else I feel like throwing in there. Don't like, or are not old enough to read it, turn away now and find the 'Teletubbies' page. I'm sure there's one on this site somewhere.

Chapter One.

A flicker of a tongue, the rasp of the roughness over her nipple woke  
her from the sound sleep. Smiling, Artemis opened her eyes to find her  
newest pet worshiping her body to wakefulness in the most pleasurable  
way possible. He grinned up at her as he scraped his whiskers across  
her alabaster flesh and continued to focus on her breast.

"Nicky, stop tea-" Her words were cut off by the doors of her  
bedchamber blasting open, slamming against the walls with a resounding  
crash and echo. With a shriek of outrage and indignation, Artemis  
leapt to her feet, clothing herself instantly. Nick rolled to his back  
and pulled the sheet over his lap slowly, covering his morning  
erection. He eyed the three intruders, obviously other gods here on  
Mount Olympus.

"What the fuck?"

"Shush, Nick!" Artemis turned her attention on the three beings in her  
doorway. Her brother Apollo, Zeus her father and Janae, a weak  
daughter of Themis and Zeus. "What is the meaning of this? How dare  
you enter my bedchamber!"

"For thousands of years we tolerated your Atlantean pet, daughter. But  
this we cannot accept. Bringing one of your soulless Dark-Hunters to  
Olympus and desecrating our temples! And to find you like this. You  
begged me as a child to keep you eternally a virgin. No more. No more  
shame and embarrassment to the pantheon." The king of the gods took  
three steps closer to his daughter, a sneer marring his perfect  
features.

"You can't do anything. I'm the goddess of the moon and can't be  
killed." Artemis hissed at her father, her own lips curled up in a  
sneer.

Apollo gave her a most contemptuous look and snapped his fingers.  
Instantly, a sun net, one of his owns creations, fell atop her,  
dragging her to the white marble floor next to her bed. She struggled  
against the glowing gold netting, but it held her fast, canceling out  
her own powers, opposite of her own. Their powers had always negated  
each others. Nick surged to his feet unmindful of his nudity. He'd  
been around enough ancient warriors to not care about his own state of  
undress. Zeus slammed him into the wall with a wave of his hand and a  
flash of his lightning bolt. He watched with satisfaction how the  
Dark-Hunter slid to the floor, knocked out. Squatting to his haunches,  
he turned to Artemis and touched her red hair through the golden net.

"Father?" Her tone was now submissive and fearful.

"You've embarrassed the pantheon for the last time, daughter. Janae  
will absorb your powers as the goddess of the moon, thus saving your  
brother from annihilation and keeping the Chtholians from attacking us  
in retribution. There will then be no imbalance of power." He sighed  
then and shook his head. "I shall have you sent to the human realm  
with your pet there. He can keep you safe and alive. I won't kill  
you, though I should, considering all your actions, but you are my  
beloved daughter."

"Father, what if sh-" Apollo frowned at his father's actions. He'd  
have killed the slut and be done with it. Zeus waved his other hand  
and cut off his son's whining tirade. Honestly, the boy bitched and  
moaned more than a woman sometimes.

"Please, Father. Don't banish me. I can't live as a human, please."  
Her green eyes shone with the welling and falling tears, wide with true  
terror. She tried to shy away from Janae, but the net kept her in one  
spot. She couldn't get away from her half sister.

Acheron! She closed her eyes and concentrated on the man she hadn't  
talked to since Katra's daughter had been born.

Leave me alone, Artie. I'm through with you, remember?

My father's here. He's going to take my powers and cast me into the  
human realm. I'll be powerless, weak.

A moment of silence met her announcement, and then Ash's evil laugh echoed  
in her mind.

Eleven f-ing thousand years too late in my opinion, but finally the  
asshole does something right. If you're ever in New Orleans, DON'T  
look me up. Be grateful, Artie. At least you're not getting gutted.

Acheron! Artemis screamed his name, out loud and mentally, but he  
ignored her, just as he'd been ignoring her since meeting Tory Kafieri  
and falling in love with the human bitch.

Artemis watched Janae, a blue eyed, blond, petite goddess, as she came  
to kneel next to her father. She placed one hand on Artemis' arm,  
gasping at the power flooding through her from the moon goddess. Like  
Katra, Janae was a rare conduit, able to siphon god powers from one to  
another, or in her own case, keep the powers she absorbed.

Light-headed, Artemis started to call for Katra, but passed out before  
she could even think her daughter's name.

Zeus stood, frowning down at his daughter lying there looking so frail,  
so beautiful. He turned to his son. "Take them both and put them in  
the human world. Be merciful; she is your twin, your sister. Janae,  
come."

Obediently, the girl stood and followed her father through the temple.  
The young goddess was little more than a lapdog for their father. Now  
Zeus would control the moon through the little twit.

Apollo looked down at his sister with a sneer. Such a whore to be  
allowed to live, but he couldn't go against the will of their father.  
He snapped his fingers and flashed the two bodies with him to New  
Orleans. The Dark-Hunter had a home there. It was pitifully easy to  
glean the information from his unconscious mind. He put the two of  
them on the sheet covered bed and removed his net. Ah, well. Janae  
would be so much easier to control and keep chaste. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dark-Hunters, Were-Hunters, Dream-Hunters, Daimons, etc. Sherrilyn Kenyon, otherwise known as 'the Author Goddess' (AG) owns all. I make absolutely no money off this creation although any original characters came from my own warped mind.

A/N~~ This is my first Dark Hunter fan-fiction and was started just after 'Acheron' came out, thus anything that happens after, in subsequent DH novels does not apply.

This is rated 'M' for sex, language, and well pretty much anything else I feel like throwing in there. Don't like, or are not old enough to read it, turn away now and find the 'Teletubbies' page. I'm sure there's one on this site somewhere.

Chapter 2

Yawning, Nick rolled over and bumped into the warm body next to him.  
Normally, he didn't remain with the women he slept with, sharing a few  
hours of pleasure then returning home to his own bed. He groaned and  
opened his swirling silver eyes to find Artemis curled up next to him.  
He smiled and started to reach for her, thinking they were still in her  
bed on Olympus.

Then he remembered the two men and petite woman who had interrupted  
their morning play.

"Artie. Artemis!" He shook her a bit. She opened one eye and reached  
for his neck, snarling. "Hey, knock that shit off." He swatted her  
hand away easily. Frowning, he realized her grip was far weaker than  
normal. And so did she at the same time.

"He did it. He really did it. I don't believe this!" the red headed  
goddess sat up and screamed at the top of her lungs. He covered her  
mouth quickly. She bit the palm of his hand. "Don't you ever do that  
again, human!"

"If you remember, I'm not human. And you can't scream like that.  
We're at my house and I have neighbors. They don't know I live here!  
And what happened. Two gods came in to your bedchamber this morning."

"My father, Zeus. He stripped my powers from me. Made me human." She  
calmed down enough to tell him. The contempt in her voice was  
unmistakable. Nick sneered back at her and got up from his bed.

"Wow. You're just fucked then, huh?"

"I don't think so." throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she  
pressed her hands to her stomach and frowned. "I think this body's  
ill."

"Bathroom's through there." He pointed to the door nearest her and  
stood up, frowning down at his clothes. One of the gods had dressed  
him in some of the more heinous clothes he'd ever seen. With a plaid  
flannel shirt, khakis and penny loafers, he looked like his old high  
school science teacher. All he needed was the black glasses and pocket  
protector to complete the look. He started stripping and looked over  
his shoulder to look at Artemis. Bemused, he watched her face pale and  
she ran through the bathroom door. "In case you gotta puke."

"That's disgusting." But before the last word was out of her mouth,  
she clapped her hand over it and dashed for the door. Nick winces as  
he heard her throwing up. She threw in a few curses in for good  
measure, damning her father, Apollo and Ash. He shrugged. He couldn't  
blame her really since he'd been cursing Ash since he'd been stuck on  
Savitar's island, losing two years of his life. Worse, Ash had left  
New Orleans to the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. For that, he'd never  
forgive his former friend. He understood why Ash had hated him for  
sleeping with Simi, but for the loss of all the good people of his home  
town, well, Ash would pay for that.

By the time Artie had rejoined him, he was dressed in a button down  
long sleeved steel gray shirt, black jeans and black sneakers. It was  
mid-afternoon, but he needed to hunt. Even if the Daimons didn't come  
out until after dark, there were still other beings in his city that he  
needed to take down to keep New Orleans safe. The Dark-Hunters  
assigned to the city protected it, but none of them loved it like he  
did. It was his home. He felt her standing there behind him as he  
finished buttoning the shirt and braced himself for the upcoming  
tirade. After having spent weeks with her, he knew she was going to  
have herself a major temper tantrum.

He wondered briefly how Acheron had handled the temperamental goddess.

"I have to get back to Olympus. Bring me there now." Her imperious  
tone irked the shit out of him.

"I can't. You blocked my ability to flash to your temple unless you  
called me, remember? You said you didn't want anyone to see me. Guess  
that bit you right on the ass, huh? Someone knew about me anyway."

She ignored his sarcasm and put her hands on her hips, her eyes  
flashing in anger.

"Then call someone to send me there."

"Look, the only person who could possibly send you to Olympus I'd like  
nothing better than see dead at my feet. So, calling Acheron isn't  
gonna happen. And Stryker's just as likely to see me dead, even if he  
could send us back there." He sighed and brushed some of Artemis' hair  
from her face. She was so lovely, but with such a cold heart.

"But I'm a goddess!" She slapped his hand away. His swirling silver  
eyes narrowed.

"Right now, you're a human pain in my ass." He shoved past her on his  
way to the bathroom. He made himself cast a reflection and brushed his  
shaggy brown hair absently. Artemis followed after him.

"Fine. Call my daughter. She'll return me to where I belong. I am so  
going to make Apollo pay for twisting me over like this!"

"Screwing. He screwed you over. And if I call her will you quit your  
bitching, then?" 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I neither own the Dark Hunter series nor make money from this work of fanfiction. That honor belongs to Sherrilyn Kenyon, and believe me she earns it. Sheer genius, I tells ya.

I'd like to thank my reviews for leaving such wonderful words of encouragement. I'd have responded to Alexahallywell, but there was no way to. So, Alexa, thank you very much along with Villiars R HOT and xxx1truelovexxx. If I wrote your screen name wrong, I'm sorry.

I will update on Fridays (I hope) as long as real life doesn't mess with me.

Chapter 3

"I am not a bitch!"

"I didn't say you were." He'd meant it though. "You are bitching and  
moaning though. Here," He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and  
dropped it into her hand. She stared at it blankly.

"I don't know how to use a phone," she whispered. She'd never had to  
use one before. Mentally summoning someone was her preferred method of  
communication. And she'd already tried calling out to Katra, but she  
was blocked somehow.

"Fine." Nick took it back and flipped it open. "What's her number?"

"I don't know." Tears welled up in the emerald green eyes. Nick kept  
himself from cursing by remembering she wasn't from the human realm and  
didn't really know how to survive here. He realized then that he would  
either have to help her, or he'd have to drop her off with someone else.

He preferred the second option.

"Besides Ash, do you know any other people that might help? Someone in  
New Orleans perhaps?"

Nick watched her perfectly beautiful face scrunch up in thought. He  
waited a full minute before cocking one eyebrow at her.

"I'm thinking!"

"Damn. You keep thinking about it while I go downstairs and get  
something to eat. You hungry?"

"A little. I think."

"Come on. I have some leftovers in the fridge." He didn't need to eat  
anymore thanks to his blood exchange with Stryker, but he was a born  
and bred Cajun whose Mama had gone without to see him fed too many  
times. It was ingrained in him to eat.

Nick opened the bedroom door for Artemis. She looked at him dryly.

"What?"

"Why don't you just take us there with your powers?"

"Just because you can do so-" he groaned at almost repeating Ash's  
catchphrase. "You can't walk down a flight of stairs?"

She tossed her long red hair over her shoulder and raked him with a  
haughty sneer. "I can do anything a human can do, and I can do it  
superbly. Where am I going?" Looking first right then left, she  
spotted the staircase and headed down them, holding her white sheath  
gown so she didn't trip.

Nick shook his head and followed. 'What the hell have I gotten myself into now?' he wondered. He considered flashing Artemis to Sanctuary, but whenever he used his borrowed powers, Stryker was able to use them as a homing signal. He knew right where the Cajun was and he was sick of fighting.

!#$$%$%$%^&%&*&*$%^&

in the kitchen, Nick pulled down two bowls and filled them with the savory gumbo he loved. It wasn't like the way his mama had made it, but it was damn close. He'd grown up on Cajun food and could eat it for every meal. He popped one bowl in the microwave and got out two beers from the fridge. Twisting the top, he dropped one in front of Artemis, who had taken a spot across from him at the kitchen island.

"What's this?" She arched one elegant eyebrow at him.

"Beer. Nectar of the rednecks. It's either beer or tap water. I'd go with the beer, but it's your call, baby." He shrugged and turned back to the microwave, withdrawing the first bowl of food. He put in on Artemis' placemat and returned to warm his own meal.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her sip, a frown marring her perfect features. It changed to a thoughtful look as she sipped again. "It's acceptable."

"My life can continue now. You thought of anyone yet?" He put his bowl down and sat across from her on the nearest barstool.

"No. I don't know telephone numbers. We're in New Orleans?" She remembered that it had always been Acheron's favorite place to visit. Mostly because of the young man across from her.

"Oh, yeah."

"My cousin, Julian of Macedon is here, married to a human," she sneered the word, making it more like a social disease often whispered about, rather than a race of people inhabiting the Earth. "Can we go see him?"

"He's probably teaching a class right now." It was early afternoon.

"Well, this is more important. Take me to him."

Nick rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he'll agree with that. Right." Yep right up there with getting put back in the sex slave book for another 2,000 years. Sure. "We'll drive by after we eat."

Artemis pouted at him and he sighed. Yeah, they'd been 'friends', ones with benefits, but she was worming her way into his affections. Of course, he'd had to argue with her the first time she had tried to slap him. No way would he let anyone hit him. Ever. He'd had enough of that shit while his father had lived with him and Cherise briefly. And he had an idea of how her relationship had been with Acheron, but she never spoke about him. Except to complain about him abandoning her and taking her daughter. His daughter too.

"Dig in before that goes cold. It's not as good as my mother's but it's alright."

Frowning, she lifted a spoonful to her mouth and ate it quickly. She drew in a quick breath and started choking and coughing. In a flash, Nick was behind her, batting her back as she spit the mouthful of gumbo into a napkin. Sniffing, she took a deep swallow of beer.

"What the hell is that? Were you trying to poison me?"

"You must have bitten into some okra. Don't eat those if they bother you." He pointed out the spiciest bits and returned to his side of the island.

"Why would you eat something like this?"

"Because it's good. Eat up. The sooner I get you to Julian, the better."

"I'm sorry for being a bother to you. It's your entire fault anyway, you know."

"You can shove that straight up your sphincter. It's not my fault your daddy's a prick." Calmly, he brought the spoon to his lips and took his first bite, completely ignoring her ire.

He was almost as infuriating as her Acheron had always been! At least Nick didn't get upset at her over the littlest things, like releasing Thanatos on Zarek or knowing about Dion working with Camulus to free Apollymi. She hadn't known they planned on trying to kill Acheron.

"When can we leave for Julian's?"

"After we clean up from our meal here. I'll have to get your something else to wear, though. That thing's not quite appropriate for the weather." He frowned and considered. There weren't too many women over six feet tall. It was going to be tough to find clothes for her, but not impossible.

"Shopping?"

"Clothes shopping," he practically sneered the words and shuddered. "Women love to go clothes shopping." His obvious distain dripped from every syllable.

"Hardly." She sniffed and took a couple more dainty bites. The foot was fairly good, but she couldn't tell him that. They ate in silence and Nick realized that he'd never heard her silent for so long, at least not while awake. He ate with her quietly, watching her without being so overt about it.

"You finished?" Nick stood and dumped the bits at the bottom of the bowl in the sink, rinsing them into the garbage disposal. He cleaned up quickly, having learned to clean up after himself while his mother had been working to keep them alive.

Artemis sat and waited for him to clear away her dish and silverware.

"Come on, ex-goddess. You have only a few things. The faster we finish, the faster we leave."

"I'm not washing dishes. That's a servant's job."

"Yeah, well, this is a 'clean up after your own ass' house, so get up and let's move. Live with it, 'cause we ain't leaving 'til you do it. See, a little water, soap, scrub a bit, rinse and put in drainer. It's not brain surgery and it's not difficult to remember. Enjoy." He showed her how everything worked and moved away from the sink. There was no fucking way he was going to be her servant for the little time they were here on Earth together.

She huffed and considered arguing, but she was a human now, and didn't have any powers. She vowed to get Nick back once her god-hood was returned to her as she got up to stand where he had stood at the sink. She remembered his directions and followed them, slowly. Never once in her millennia of living had she ever done something so menial.

Nick watched her with half a smile. He really hadn't thought she'd do the cleaning up but she surprised him. Evidently, she would listen to him if he didn't respond in an angry manner or yell. He'd have to remember that.

She got water all down the front of her white robe, soaking her thoroughly. She turned back to Nick, propped her fists on her hips and glared at him.

"Can we go find Julian _now_?"

"Uh, you're not wearing any underwear." Nick's eyes flashed briefly to his original hazel color as he looked at her with the same amount of desire he'd had earlier that day when her father had interrupted their morning ritual. Her nipples were hard and pointy from the water, molding her gown to her chest, making it completely see through and turning him on again.

He took a step towards her and ran one finger down the curve of her right breast; circling the nipple and watching it peak even more. His mouth salivated to take it and feel it beading against the roof of his mouth. He wanted her right now.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dark Hunter series and make no money off the writing of this fan-fiction. Sherrilyn Kenyon owns all and seriously, I think she's a genius.

Note: Thank you to all the readers who've stopped by and checked out my little fic. C'mon, though, if you're here, leave me a review. I'm tough, I can take it if you don't like it.

Note #2: Here be lemons. Just to warn you, I've not written a lemon in awhile so if it stinks, I'm sorry in advance. Hope you enjoy. Marti

Being Human Chapter 4

"You know I never wear those horrible things," she whispered raggedly as his finger caressing her turned into his hand cupping her breast, his thumb rubbing over the hardened tip. He moved closer to her, his cock throbbing against the rough denim of his jeans. He knew he should have put underwear on. He rubbed himself against the sheer fabric of her _peplos_ and wished she were naked in front of him. Lifting his swirling silver eyes to Artemis, Nick brought his free hand to the neck of her gown and pulled down, knowing it wasn't held up by anything but a prayer and a strategically placed knot under the fabric. It gave way and dropped down to gather at her waist, stopped by their joined bodies. Now he hefted both breasts, his thumbs grazing over the pebbled tips slowly, teasingly.

Artemis moaned and tossed her head back, her hair falling into the sink behind her. His touch wasn't like her Acheron's but it was damn close. Nick had known almost from the first how to touch her, how to please her until she screamed loud enough to wake the inhabitants of Tartarus.

"We were interrupted this morning, love. Maybe we should finish what we started." He bent down and licked her right nipple, growling against her skin as it hardened even more against his tongue. His Cajun accent thickened as he tongued her, nipping at the sensitive flesh while his fingers pushed her gown down to gather around her feet on the kitchen floor. "You always taste so good, Artemis. Like strawberries and vanilla." He dropped to his knees in front of her and ran his callused hands up her leg, tickling behind her knees and making her jerk her leg back with a husky laugh. He hummed and nuzzled until her legs parted and he lifted one, bending it over his shoulder. He looked up and saw her gripping the edge of the sink so hard her knuckles were turning white and her head thrown back, her neck arched.

She was so beautiful, so perfect. He hardened even more as he licked her slowly, savoring her taste. He might be imagining it, but she tasted earthier than the last time they'd made long in her temple on Olympus. He slid one hand between her legs and stroked slowly, her wetness coating him instantly.

She moaned and let go of the counter, thrusting her fingers through his thick brown hair and pulling him closer. She wished she had her powers so she could undress him with a though instead of waiting for him to do it. A brief angry thought of revenge on her meddling brother and half sister flashed across her conscious, but a firm thrust of Nick's fingers and the scrape of his teeth across her clit had her forgetting everything but his name, which he moaned loudly in the quiet home.

"Zeus, Nick. Yes, there!" She thrust her hips counter to the motions of his hands and tongue.

Just before she felt it, that explosion behind her tightly closed eyes, he pulled away and stood up quickly. Her eyes flashed open and she started to say something, but his mouth covered hers, his tongue thrusting into her mouth to duel passionately, moaning her name. She tasted her essence there and she gasped. She had never allowed Acheron to do such a thing and usually reprimanded him when he did.

Nick yanked on his own clothes, pulling them off as fast as possible. His hands tangled with Artemis's in their haste.

"Hurry, love."

"Goddamned button fly jeans." He laughed and nipped below her left ear, panting. Artemis shivered when she felt his fangs against her skin and wondered if he'd feed from her now that she was human. She doubted her blood would be able to sustain him now, and for some reason that made her sad.

Both of them pushed his jeans down his hips to his knees and as he leaned in, pressing up against her, his cock nestling comfortably between her thighs he stopped. Panting he dropped his head down on her shoulder.

"I shouldn't do this. You're human now. What if I hurt you?"

"You won't. Please, Nick!" She never begged, but with this Dark-Hunter, one who had ended his own life grieving not only for the loss of his mother but for the loss of his friendship with Acheron, she couldn't help but beg him, pray he would ease the ache between her legs, ease the loneliness she felt. And had felt for millennia now.

She slid one hand down his chest, scraping her nails down his skin until he hissed from the pleasure-pain. She lightly ran her fingers down the length of his cock, pressed up against her own flesh until she could stroke him properly, closing her petite hand around the hardness. This time his head snapped back and he gasped out her name as he thrust against her body. Artemis giggled and bent forward to kiss below his jaw, nipping at the flesh just enough to leave a mark there. She opened her legs, lifted one and wrapped it around his waist until he was lined up where she wanted him most. He pushed between her legs and coated himself with her wetness, thrusting back and forth, pressing hard against her clit.

He pulled back and lifted her other leg around his waist, pressed her back against the counter as her arms wrapped around his waist and he thrust into her hard. He pushed into her and stopped when he rested fully inside. He panted against her neck as he fought for control. She always made him feel like this, like he was a teenaged boy ready to cream his jeans at the drop of a hat.

"You feel so fucking good," he whispered raggedly against her skin, his fingers gliding up her stomach and cupping her breasts, rolling her nipples roughly, like she enjoyed. She gasped and bucked against him, urging him to move. Laughing huskily, he complied, pulling almost entirely out and thrusting back in suddenly, making both of them moan. Her legs tightened around his waist and he reached behind her with one hand and cupped one ass cheek, squeezing it and pushing her towards him as he thrust again. She'd probably have a bruise on her lower back considering he had her pressed up against the kitchen counter.

Not wanting to hurt her, he pulled out of her and unwrapped her legs, Artemis protesting the entire time. Smiling, he kissed her once and pulled her to the kitchen table where they'd eaten their lunch only minutes before. He pushed her forward, turning her until she was bend facing the table, her hands splayed out across the wood surface.

"hold on, cheri."

From behind he cupped her ass with both hands and spread her legs, rubbing between her slit once before pushing hard into her body. She screamed out his name, not caring if anyone might hear. Behind her, Nick grunted and slammed in harder. He wasn't going to last long; he never did when she allowed him to take control.

Remembering that she no longer had her god powers and couldn't tie him down anymore or whip him or… yeah not going there, but knowing she couldn't turn this around on him made him impossibly harder. He kissed down her spine, the bumps of it looking like a string of pearls laying under the softest piece of silk. Nick smiled and scraped the tip of his fang across her skin. She shivered beneath him and he tangled his fingers through her red hair as he slowed his thrusts and used his free hand to stroke her from neck to thigh. With his enhanced vision he could see the goose bumps rise on her skin with every pass of his hand.

Artemis whipped her head back, her fingers trying to find purchase on the smooth surface of the table as her orgasm hit her by surprise. She cried out Nick's name as he pounded harder into her before pushing into her as hard as he could and resting as he came deep inside. He leaned down and bit into her neck gently, a moan reverberating against her skin while he drank her blood still locked within her body. He pulled away and licked the wound closed, wrapped his arms around Artemis and hugged her tight to him. Both of them breathed heavily, the only sounds in the silent kitchen.

Their lovemaking had been different than any other time before. Savage while at the same time tender and loving.

Artemis closed her eyes and rested her head on the table, Nick's head following her down so they were wrapped up tighter than they'd ever been. What was happening to her? She felt unfamiliar and unbidden tears gather in her eyes at the memory of the tenderness of their joining.

She needed to return to Olympus before she felt too much down here on Earth.

A/N~~ So? Whatcha thinking peeps? Leave me a note so I know how the lemon went.

marti


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: : I don't own the Dark Hunter series and make no money off the writing of this fan-fiction. Sherrilyn Kenyon owns all and seriously, I think she's a genius.

Note: Thank you to all the readers who've stopped by and checked out my little fic. C'mon, though, if you're here, leave me a review. I'm tough; I can take it if you don't like it.

Note 2: Sorry this is so late. Between a pulled muscle in my leg that made it torturous to sit at the computer for long periods of time and my son recently starting insulin shots along with all the other medical stuff, my time has been limited. Hope to keep up the former schedule though, thanks!

Chapter 5

Nick withdrew from Artemis and pulled his pants up quickly before bending to pick up her _peplos. _ Something had felt different there at the end and he was unsure about what it was. Their sex life had always been a push and pull between them, a power struggle. He'd been beaten down all his life and he wouldn't allow her to subjugate him to her will, but he got a charge out of letting her take control of him.

She was human now and although he'd always sensed a bit of self-consciousness about her even as a goddess, he was disarmed by her fragility as a human. It caused a feeling of protectiveness to come over him. He had to get her to her cousin soon before he started feeling even more about her.

When he first took her hand during Ash and Tory's wedding reception, allowing her to lead him away from all the happiness he begrudgedly wished he could join, well, it had at first been to get back at Ash. Now, when he was with Artemis, he felt a tightening in his chest and couldn't wait to return to her side after they'd been separated a few days.

"Why, why don't you use the downstairs bathroom to wash up. I'll see if Grace is answering her phone."

Artemis was uncharacteristically quiet as she moved away from her lover and left the kitchen. She entered the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection with something akin to horror.

"What are you feeling?" she asked herself while smoothing down her hair with a shaky hand. With no thought, she wrapped herself in the gown and tied it behind her neck, returning to her usual haughty, reserved visage. She couldn't afford to feel anything for Nick; she'd loved Acheron for millennia and look how that ended. He ended up with that bitch human turned Goddess, took her beloved daughter away from her and her lovely namesake granddaughter. He was more than welcome to keep that loathsome Sin though.

No, her best bet was to find her cousin and insist on being returned to Olympus to regain her powers from that wimpy little Janae. Damn, she'd need Katra for that.

Well, she'd have Julian hunt down her daughter too. Julian was only a demigod, but he had his uses. 'You're not even a demigod, now, Artemis.' She ignored the flash of pain that hit her as she turned away from the mirror, ready to leave.

"—Christ, Otto! Will you just bring over some tall women's clothes? And shoes. I'm not asking for a fucking part of your soul. Just some damn clothing," Nick growled into his cell phone while pacing the length of the living room. She stood near the bathroom door and watched quietly. He was strong and tall, not like her Acheron, but still a powerful being. She remembered back to the night she turned him into a Dark-Hunter, the night his mother had been murdered and he'd taken his own life. All because of a few misspoken words from his best friend.

"Be here in fifteen minutes, and not something horrible either. Tasteful, refined. Preferably white or green."

"_You suck, Gauthier. I can't raid Tabitha's closet then. Only thing with green in there are the grass stains on her knees. And I don't ask how those happened either. See you in a few. And don't blast me when I get there or I'll kick your ass, Cajun."_

"You wish. Thanks, Otto."

"_I hope she's hot."_

Nick smiled. "She's beautiful. Hurry up." He hung up and turned towards the bathroom to find her standing there, leaning against the door while watching him. It was the quietest she'd ever been. No, she'd been quiet before. She was calm now. Placid.

It unnerved him more than anything, except maybe Satara and Stryker down in Kalosis.

"My, uh, Squire, friend, Otto is bringing some clothes for you. I'm hoping they're something you'll like."

"Thank you. Have you called Julian, yet?"

"Straight to voicemail. We'll just drive over to his house after Otto gets here."

Their conversations had never been this stilted before. Of course, they were usually making love; conversation wasn't big on their list of activities.

She nodded and started roaming around the room, looking at the pictures again of Nick and his mother. They radiated the love and loyalty between them. She smiled at one picture taken with Cherise holding her son, maybe 14 or 15 years old, from behind and kissing his cheek. He looked like he was pushing her away from he enjoyed his mother's attention.

She'd never had that kind of bond with Katra. She'd hidden her daughter not only from her own father, but from the family she had on Olympus. For 11,000 years she was only Artemis's handmaiden to the other gods. The thought brought tears to her eyes and she wiped them away with a savage brush of her hand.

"Hey, I'll get you back home if that's where you want to go. I promise." Too bad his promise wasn't binding like her Acheron's had been. He'd promised to always protect her and look where he was now.

"Thank you." Nick actually shook his head as he heard the goddess thank him for helping her. It took all his self control to keep from attempting to clean his ears out too. She sounded quiet. And humble.

Maybe she'd come down with something while here in the human world.

Quietly, Artemis sat in a comfortable armchair and picked up a magazine on the end table. She blinked at the picture, and the date. It had been from before his rebirth as a dark hunter. She gulped as she realized the 'Reader's Digest' might have been one that his beloved mother had been reading before her death. She dropped it back down and looked around the living room. Everywhere there were signs of his love for his mother and hers back to him in turn. She smiled at the sight of a homemade picture frame on a knick knack shelf, a grinning Nick, front teeth missing, showing.

"I made that for Mom when I was seven. For Christmas. After I started getting real money from Kyrian for Squiring, I got her a ton of fancy frames, but she always treated that one like it was gold."

"Because you made it for her. Katra—I never allowed her to do anything like that for me. I didn't want any of the other gods to know she was my daughter."

Nick cocked his head to one side and looked at Artemis in a whole new light. He'd never considered her as anything but his lover, but she was a mother too.

"I'm sure she would have done it."

"She made a vase once, with Hephaestus, when she was eight or nine. Acheron had refused my summons again, and when she brought it to me I threw it against the wall and banished her from my rooms. I envy you and your mother's relationship." She took a deep breath and stood up regally, her head held high and no sign of emotion on her lovely face. "I shall await your Squire's arrival in the other room." Without another word, she left the room, looking straight ahead and evading his hand as she passed him.

Artemis entered the small reading nook and stood in front of the window, not even looking out at the garden but remembering her daughter and every time she'd turned away from her in fear of having any of her family realize what Katra was to her. Damned human emotions! She wished her father had just killed her instead of letting her loose in the human realm.

Not only was she at the mercy of Nick's whims, but also the intense emotions of the human race.


End file.
